Overview
Identifont is a long-running font directory that helps you identify a typeface by answering a series of questions about its visual characteristics. It also lets you find fonts by name, by similarity, by designer, and by picture to locate fonts containing a particular symbol.
Our take
Identifont identifies typefaces by asking you questions about the letterforms rather than matching an image, which is a different and sometimes better approach — it works when you have a printed sample rather than a clean digital crop. It is free, long-established, and its database skews toward established commercial faces rather than recent releases.
Worth it if
Identifying type from a physical sample or a poor image where visual matching fails.
Look elsewhere if
Recent web fonts and small-foundry releases, which are underrepresented in older identification databases.
✨ Features
Question-Based ID
Answers about key characteristics narrow down a font in about 15 steps.
Find by Picture
Search for fonts that contain a specific symbol, picture, or pi character.
Search by Name
Look up fonts directly by name or browse by designer and publisher.
Similar Fonts
Find typefaces similar in appearance to a font you specify.
⚖️ Pros & Cons
Pros
Cons
💰 Pricing
Free
$0
- Identify fonts by answering questions
- Search fonts by name or designer
- Largest independent font directory
- Find similar fonts
- No account or payment required
Categories
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How does question-based identification compare to image matching?
It works where image matching cannot — a photographed sign, a printed book, a degraded scan — because it depends on your observation rather than image quality. It is slower and requires you to look carefully at letterforms, which is a genuine skill. The two approaches complement each other rather than competing.
Why can't it find newer fonts?
Because identification databases depend on being maintained, and the volume of new typeface releases, particularly from small independent foundries, outpaces most catalogues. For a font that looks contemporary, a visual matcher connected to a current commercial library is more likely to succeed.